Marie Treanor - Interview and Contest

Please welcome Marie Treanor author of the sensuous, vampire romance Blood on Silk (NAL September 7, 2010). She has graciously given time to PVN to answer a few questions. She is also offering one lucky reader an e-copy of one of her previous works. [See contest details at the end of the post.]

PVN: In your recently published novel Blood on Silk the hero is Saloman and the heroine is Elizabeth Silk. Would you give PVN readers a brief sketch about both?

Marie: Happy to! Elizabeth is a quiet but promising academic, researching her PhD in vampire superstitions in Eastern Europe. She’s wary of men and doesn’t make friends easily, but she is loyal and determined in character and has no problem sticking up for herself – a trait that comes in very useful when she finds herself catapulted into a scary new world of vampires and hunters where she is the most important piece on the chess board. She has to learn to fight physically and to deal with an unwanted and overwhelming sexual attraction to a being she knows is a monster.

Saloman begins the story as a legend, the most powerful vampire who ever existed until he was betrayed and staked in the seventeenth century. Awakened by Elizabeth’s blood, he sets out to take his revenge on those who betrayed him and to grow strong on the blood of their descendants. His ultimate goal is to rule over both vampires and humans - which he sets about with ruthless efficiency.

I confess I like Saloman: he’s frightening, inhuman, unreachable, overwhelmingly powerful, merciless and determined, but he also has humour and understanding, and soaks up knowledge like a sponge. You begin to suspect that he does have a moral code – just not one comprehensible to humans. And although he never lets it halt him, as the last of the Ancient vampire race he’s lonely and has rare moments of vulnerability which Elizabeth manages to touch, even if she isn’t always aware of it.

PVN: How did you research material for Blood on Silk ?

Marie: I visited Transylvania and Budapest, several years ago, so I wrote about the locations from a mixture of memory and internet research. I’ve also studied the history of the region for a long time, including the life of Vlad Dracula (the Impaler) who, in Blood on Silk, was a friend of Saloman’s. J It was fun bringing this all together in Blood on Silk.

PVN: Why do you think of vampires as romantic heroes?

Marie: Weird, isn’t it? On the face of it, vampires are terrifying blood-sucking killers, determined to prolong their existence by ending the lives of others – not many redeeming qualities there! And yet there is something very attractive about all that power, and the bad-boy image, especially when it’s concentrated on the heroine.  And then, there’s the immortality factor – who wouldn’t want the love of their life to live forever? Obviously, to be a hero, he can’t be all bad, and there has to be genuine feeling for the heroine, but I still like my vampire heroes to have a bit of bite (if you’ll pardon the pun) and be a little on the scary side. To me, the romance is more poignant if it’s contrasted with a bit of inhuman behaviour.

PVN: What are some of your favorite vampire stories or authors?

Marie: Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” without a doubt, and also Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire” and “The Vampire Lestat.” As well as being wonderful books in their own rights, they’ve had huge influence on the current vampire genres – both horror and romance – whether directly or indirectly. I’ve enjoyed lots of more modern vampire romances too – Michele Hauf, JR Ward, Charlaine Harris, Lynsay Sands’s, and lots more

PVN: What attracts you to the paranormal?

Marie: I think it’s the fact that my imagination can go absolutely anywhere. And paranormal mixes wonderfully with other genres that I enjoy, such as suspense and romance, fantasy, humour, gothic horror and so on. I love mixing them up!

PVN: Please describe your writing environment and your writing day.

Marie: I write using a laptop, and it goes wherever I go, which was very important before my daughter went to school! Now, I write mostly in a quiet room at the back of the house, where we keep most of our books and favourite things acquired on European travels. And there’s an antique bureau just big enough for my laptop.

I do most of my writing after taking my daughter to school. I only pause to make coffee and the odd snack which I consume at my desk while I’m working. I stop about 3pm to fetch my daughter from school again. Occasionally I can get in an extra half hour or so after that, but it’s more difficult, especially after my sons get home from high school, and the house is full of noise and phone calls and people. When I’m on a roll, or if we have people staying and it’s difficult to find writing time, I get up early and write for a few hours before everyone wakes up.

PVN: What are you working on currently?

Marie: A new vampire story, plus a couple of new ideas… Also, in the next week or two, I’m expecting edits of Blood Eternal, the third Awakened by Blood book following Elizabeth and Saloman.



PVN: Would you mind telling us about your home in Scotland?

Marie: Not at all! I live in a seaside village on the east coast of Scotland, just five minutes walk from the beach. It’s a quiet place with a long history, and parts of it are very pretty – including the beach. Occasionally, from the village, you can see seals and dolphins. Our house is Victorian and chaotic, full of toys, books, papers, musical instruments and electronic gadgets, all of which seem to migrate to the wrong place and stay there for months before we notice. At weekends and evenings, very often, it’s also full of teenagers playing computer games and/or loud music – one of my sons plays drums in a band and he likes to share the joy. Fortunately, we have understanding neighbours!

PVN: How can readers contact you?

Marie: They can email me any time at Marie@MarieTreanor.com – I’m always happy to hear from readers! I’m also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marie-Treanor-Paranormal-Romance/105866982782360, where I post writing and book news and am always glad to chat.

PVN: Many thanks, Marie! Now for the contest.

Contest

*One lucky winner will win a copy of an ebook from Marie's backlist. Go to http://www.marietreanor.com/books.html to see the selection.
[note: Blood on Silk is not yet available as an ebook]

*To enter the contest do one of two things:
    
      Ask Marie a question.
                   or
      Make a comment on Marie's post.

*The contest is open internationally



*Be sure your email address is associated with your comment.

*Contest ends at midnight PST on 12-20-2010